Electric switch



' F. g. WATTS ELECTRIC SWITCH June 6', 1 933.

' Filed Aug. 8, 1930 Patented June 6, 1933 v UNITED STATES.

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BRONSON, MICHIGAN .L WA'ITS, OF BRONS ON, IHCHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 1'0 HARRY A. DOUGH.

' amcmrc swn'cn Application filed August a, 1930. Serial No. 473,823.

My invention relates to electric switches and has for its general object the provision of an improved contacting mechanism simplifying the ,construction and operation of the switch. The device of my invention is inclusive of a circuit controlling arm swingingly mounted between its-ends to have a circuit closing position and an alternative clrcuit opening position, contacts brought 1nto connection by said arm when 1n one of its alternative positions and which are out of connection when the arm is in the other ofits alternative positions, and an arm actuator engageable therewith upon each side of the 1 place of mounting for the arm to swing the arm. to its alternative positions. One of the contacts is desirably provided upon the arm on which account the arm is preferably metallic. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the arm of the actuator is recipro which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View with parts appearing in elevation, the switch being in circuit closing adjustment; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig.

. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1;

'.|5"ig'. 4 isaview somewhat similar to Fig. 1

with parts removed and additional parts 49 shown in elevation, this figure illustrating the switch in circuit opening adjustment; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the circuit controlling switch arm and its mounting, in separated relation.

The casing illustrated preferably includes a generally cylindrical wall 1 and a second wall 2 which is angular to the first and constitutes therewith a switch receptacle of cup formation. The wall 1 is formed with prongs 3 which are passed through notches in the closure wall '4 and which are clinched into engagement with the outer fiat face of said closure wall, whereby this wall and the cup part of thecasing are held in assembly. The casing-wall 4 desirably constitutes the contact carrier of the switch structure. The circuit wires 5 and 6. are illustrated, these wires,

being clamped within the larger portions of the metallic sleeves 7- and 8 respectively by means of binding screws 9 and 10. The reduced portions of these sleeves pass snugly through holes that are formed in the wall 4 and are riveted'at their inner ends to form 'flanges 11 and 12 which clamp said wall against the larger'portions of the sleeves.

Metallic' leaf springs 13 and 14 are included inthe improved switching mechanism. Spring 14 isclamped between the flange 12 and wall 4 and has an angular tail continuation 15 that enters a recess 16 on the wall 4 to keep spring 14 from turning.

a The leaf spring 13 constitutes the circuit controlling arm and the leaf spring 14 constitutes a mounting upon, which the arm is fulcrumed, these two parts being preferably formed as illustrated in Fig. 5, where the unmounted end of the leaf spring 14 is bifurcated and has angular continuations 16 whlch are received within notches 17 which are formed in the sides of the arm 1,3. Said angular continuations lap said arm to hold j it upon its mounting. Theparts are so related that the arm 13 is adapted to beswung into and out of contacting engagement with the extension'18 of the sleeve 7 to close or open the control circuit and the mounting desirably is disposed beneath the arm so as to support the arm" in its position out of engagement with the extension 18, thus displacement of the parts out of operative position is guarded against.

The arm actuator illustrated is reciprocable and is inclusive of a handle whose shaft 19 passes through a guiding sleeve 20 which is suitably assembled with the casing wall 2. This guiding sleeve is exteriorly threaded to receive clamping nuts 21 and 22, whereby said sleeve ma be assembled with-the mounting 23. disc 24 of insulation is desirably also place a spacing washer 25, these two parts being clamped against the larger part of the handle shaft by the riveting flange 26. The parts of the arm 13 on each side of its mounting are deflected away from the actuator so as to interpose a hump or ridge in the path of movement of the actuator, whereby the actuator disc 24 and.

the balance of the actuator are held in the alternative positions to which the actuator Changes may be made without departing" from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an electric switch, the combination with a reciprocable insulating actuator; of. an insulating contact carrier; parallel contacts carried by the carrier, one of said contacts having a continuation extending longitudinally beyond the other; a resilient me-f tallic mounting fixedly engaging the other 'of said contacts; and a metallic circuit controlling arm hingedly carried intermediate its ends by and fulcrumed on said mounting, the end of said arm remote from its mounting being bent to be'transverse to the contacts and movable between the mounting and the said continuation, said end terminating in a relatively narrow contact edge engageable with the continuation by a scraping engagement and the other end of the arm having inclined portions on each side of its mounting deflected away from said insulating actuator, said actuator being reciprocable over the hump provided between said deflected portions away from the fixed contacts to bring the contact edge of the arm into engagement with the continuation and my name.

toward the fixed contacts to break the I engagement. 1 a

2. In an electric switch, the combination with an insulating contact carrier; of parallel contacts carried by the carrier; a resilient metallic mounting carried by'the carrier; ametallic circuit controlling arm hingedly carried intermediate its ends by and fulcrumed on said mounting, said arm being swingable to engage both contacts to close a circuit therethrough; and an actuator mounted apart from the carrier and reciprocable across the fulcrum of the arm to swing located upon the reduced inner end of the the arm into and out of circuit closing handle shaft 19 upon which continuation I FELIX ,J. WATTS. 

